Fostering with another agency or your local authority and feeling like something just isn’t quite right? Maybe you aren’t receiving the support you deserve, the training you were promised, or perhaps matches seem few and far between.
When you foster, one of the most important things is being satisfied with your fostering provider and never feeling alone on your journey. So if you aren’t happy where you are, it could be time to switch to a different fostering agency.
Join us as we explore the signs it’s time to switch to a new foster care agency, why FCA could be the right fit for you, and how the transfer process works – it’s often a lot simpler than you realise.
5 signs it’s time to switch to a new foster care agency
You don’t feel like a member of the team
It takes a village to raise a child. From social workers and education leads to trainers and other foster parents, your fostering provider should be by your side, helping you feel confident, comfortable, and part of a community.
But if you feel like you’re being kept out of the loop, that you’re not being listened to or that your opinions don’t matter, it can make it very difficult for you to thrive in your role as a foster parent, and could be a sign that it’s time to foster elsewhere.
You’re not receiving enough support
Your fostering agency should be providing you with wraparound support, like a 24/7 helpline, connections with a team of fostering specialists and access to the resources you need to do your job well.
This support should always be available whenever you need it, through phone calls, home visits, drop-ins, and appointments with your agency.
Without the right support, it can feel like you’re being set up to fail. So if you find yourself constantly frustrated and alone on your fostering journey, it’s a sign to consider transferring to an agency that can provide the support you need.
Your fostering allowance is insufficient
Fostering is a full-time job, and for many foster parents it’s their only job. That’s why fostering allowances are designed to support you financially, helping to cover the cost of caring for a child as well as your household bills. This allows you to dedicate your time and energy to meeting the needs of the children and young people in your care without needing to seek employment elsewhere.
If you’re not receiving the pay and benefits you need from your agency, or you’re finding yourself using your own resources, switching to an agency that rewards its foster parents appropriately might be the answer you’re looking for.
Matches are few and far between
Not being put forward for matches often enough and finding your spare bedroom consistently empty?
Most people become foster parents because they want to help children in need, and with around 39,000 more entering care each year, you’d expect to be matched with the right child promptly.
You also don’t get paid when you don’t have a child in your care, which means if you regularly find yourself without a foster child, you might start wondering whether fostering is still a viable option for you.
Instead of throwing in the towel, it might be time to switch to an agency like FCA, which receives regular referrals and uses a rigorous process to ensure you’re matched with the right child without delay.
You aren’t receiving regular training
Children in care have often had very difficult starts to life and need specialist support from foster parents who know how to meet their needs and help them heal from their trauma.
This means that although you don’t need any experience to become a foster parent, you do need ongoing training that gives you the knowledge and skills to care for children with challenging starts and prepares you for every stage of your fostering journey.
If you feel unprepared and out of your depth, it could mean that your fostering agency isn’t providing adequate training, and you might be better served moving to a fostering agency with a robust training programme, like FCA.
5 reasons why FCA could be right for you
If you’ve noticed any of the above signs that it’s time to switch to a new fostering agency, here are a few reasons why FCA could be the right move for you:
1. We offer wraparound, collaborative support
What makes us different from other fostering agencies is that everyone involved understands that children and young people with histories of trauma, abuse, neglect or attachment difficulties need therapeutic input to help their wellbeing and development. We call this approach Team Parenting.
When you transfer to FCA, you’ll join our community of foster parents, social workers, therapists, participation officers, education leads, and more, all working together to care for every area of each child’s well-being.
You’ll also have access to our 24/7 helpline, online resources, and a calendar of events and activities in your local area for the whole family to enjoy. Because when you foster with FCA, you are never alone on your fostering journey.
2. Our ongoing training programme helps you succeed
When you join FCA, you don’t need experience because our ongoing training programme will help you feel confident in your role.
We offer a wide range of courses both online and face-to-face that help develop your knowledge and skills to meet the specific needs of particular children, or in more specialist areas or approaches.
Whether you foster a child with additional needs or want to learn more about the issues young people face today, you can simply log in to our training platform and book the session you want to attend from our huge catalogue of courses.
3. We want everyone to feel heard
When you transfer to FCA, you’ll be joining a positive and empowering culture where we encourage everyone to have their say.
Our dedicated Participation team encourages all children to voice their opinions and concerns, helping us tailor our activities and services around them. While all our foster parents have the chance to provide feedback and express their ideas or concerns directly to the senior management team during our biannual foster parent rep forums.
You’ll also have regular supervision with your social worker, who’ll provide a listening ear for your concerns alongside essential advice and guidance throughout your fostering journey.
4. Our matching process is unrivalled
At FCA, when it comes to matching, every detail matters – from your location, knowledge and skills to a young person’s needs and experiences. We carefully match you with the right child.
And because we are one of the most reputable agencies, we are a trusted partner for local authorities throughout the UK. As a result, our services are in high demand across the country, which means that once you become an approved foster family with us and are ready, it won’t be long before you welcome a child into your home.
5. We offer generous fostering allowances and perks
If you’re considering transferring, you may worry about how it’ll impact your pay. The good news is that at FCA, we’ll match your current fostering allowance for each child you bring with you at the very least, but more often than not we can offer more. You’ll also benefit from additional perks, including:
- A £250 summer and winter payment each year
- Annual appreciation bonus which increases in line with your length of service
- Gifts and experiences for each fostering milestone you reach
- Exclusive discounts from hundreds of brands on our foster parent rewards platform.
- Monthly Time to Shine Awards where you can receive prizes and recognition for your hard work and dedication.
- Up to £3000 bonus for every foster parent you successfully refer to us with our Refer-a-Friend scheme.
How to transfer fostering agencies to FCA
If your current fostering agency isn’t giving you the support, training, care, or fostering allowances you need, transferring to us could be the best decision you make for you and your family.
The process is easier than you might think, and you’ll have our dedicated team with you every step of the way. We’ll fast-track your application, making the whole process quick and easy, aiming to complete it within just 12 weeks of your initial enquiry.
Already have a child in your care? You can still transfer to us, there will just be a couple of extra steps.
To find out more, call us today on 0800 098 4148 and download our Transfer to Us Guide to learn everything you need to know about switching to FCA.
